Amateur-built STARDUSTER II accident near Berrien Springs, Michigan, June 27, 1997
On June 27, 1997, a amateur-built STARDUSTER II, registered N939H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Berrien Springs, Michigan (Andrews University airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the landing gear axle due to fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 1997
- Place
- Berrien Springs, Michigan · Andrews University · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STARDUSTER II STARDUSTER
- Registration
- N939H · registry record · serial 939
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in command reported that after an hour long local flight he was returning to make a full stop landing on runway 30. The pilot reported that the touchdown was, 'very smooth and normal, with the power at idle.' The pilot stated that during the landing rollout, 'the aircraft pitched forward and then rotated violently to the left.' The pilot reported that during the left rotation, 'the airplane rolled up onto both right wingtips, and then fell vertically onto its nose.' The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude, supported by the left wing and right main gear. The left main landing gear axle and support tube were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory Division for inspection. The lab report states there was evidence 'indicative of a preexisting brittle fracture area such as fatigue cracking.' The inspection also revealed thinned areas of the tube.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- GEAR COLLAPSED during landing - roll
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 1,154 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,075 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, August 26, 1996; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 670W (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: C20 at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 2,075 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°C, dew point 54°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from SBN, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N939H the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI97LA186.